An investigation reveals the conduct of the founder of the community and a figure of Catholicism.
It’s the fall of a giant. Less than a year after the death of Jean Vanier – a great figure in Catholicism – an independent investigation published on Saturday revealed that the Canadian founder of the L’Arche community had used his spiritual authority to perpetrate sexual abuse on at least six adult and non-disabled women, between 1970 and 2005. This survey was carried out at the request of L’Arche international, which has 154 communities where employees and volunteers share the daily lives of people with intellectual disabilities in 38 countries.
For all those whom Jean Vanier inspired, for the entire community of L’Arche, the shock is immense. “We are in a state of amazement, upset, says Stephan Posner, International Head of L’Arche. We experience both sadness and anger. We are touched in the heart but we will continue the work of L’Arche. I trust our collective ability to get through this ordeal. “
We cannot measure the impact of these revelations in the longer term. But we are not going to delete the name of Jean Vanier from our history
Stephan Posner, International Head of L’Arche
The decision to launch these investigations,
